Dining: Jeff Ruby

His eclectic lifestyle has grabbed headlines, but his provocative memoir delves into his life story.

It’s shortly after lunch on a Friday afternoon, and Jeff Ruby
is sitting alone at a booth in his signature steakhouse in downtown Cincinnati.
He’s eating a cheeseburger, while his face signals something is wrong.

“It’s too salty,” he tells the waiter. “Get me the chef.”

Ruby’s penchant for expressing his opinion is well documented.
From booting O.J. Simpson out of his Louisville, Ky. restaurant to getting
thrown out of the courtroom at Drew Peterson’s murder trial, Ruby has never
wavered in his approach to life.

“No one can tell me what I can and can’t do,” he says. “If you’re
going to make it in life, you have to take chances.”

It’s an essential theme in his autobiography, Not Counting
Tomorrow: The Unlikely Life of Jeff Ruby, coauthored with Robert Windeler. In
his memoir, Ruby recounts his life, from humble beginnings in Asbury Park, N.J.
to becoming one of the country’s premier restaurateurs.

In his typical eccentric fashion, the book’s chapters are named
after songs that detail a monumental moment in his life. For instance, Ruby’s
notorious 2007 encounter with Simpson is detailed in a chapter named Beat it,
after the Michael Jackson hit, while his description of the 1969 riots at
Cornell University—which he claims he started—is under the title of Linkin
Park’s “Burn it Down.”

“This book is the soundtrack to my life,” says Ruby. “I would
write the chapter and then find a song, or find a song that meant a lot to
me.”

While the various fights and confrontations make for an
interesting read, Ruby’s story includes his commitment to helping misguided
youth. Ruby never met his father and lashed out at authority, including his four
stepfathers. He now looks to inspire kids who feel lost or troubled. He uses
Twitter to share his inspirational messages with more than 15,000 followers,
many of whom are young adults.

“My football coach became my father figure and it changed my
life,” says Ruby. “I just want to help some of the kids who’ve gone through the
same thing.”

With more than 30 years of experience, Ruby has no plans to give
up his passion anytime soon. He still socializes with customers and ensures
every detail of his establishments is on par with his expectations (including
the cheeseburgers).

Ruby recently traveled to Miami where he bought a stunning crystal
chandelier that now hovers over a large portion of the steakhouse’s dining room.

“I enjoy this and I don’t open new restaurants to make more money,
I do it because I enjoy it,” says Ruby. “It’s the creation and there is nothing
greater than the theater of the mind… If you have something in your mind and you
can create it, and then people can come revel and enjoy themselves, it’s a
wonderful thing.”